Your Money & the Markets in July
Economic data from the past month revealed some positive trends, with upbeat employment numbers for June being the biggest headline. In addition, weekly shopping center data have now broken out to new highs; auto sales exceeded all expectations in June despite some strong headwinds, and pending home sales made one of their biggest jumps in […]
Your Money & the Markets in June
Recent economic news was mixed, with strong U.S. auto sales and decent employment growth, but also with negative first-quarter GDP growth. The European Central Bank made headlines by lowering its key interest rates and announcing measures designed to ensure price stability and to support lending. GDP: The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter, after […]
A Survival Guide for Retiring Boomers
Most people approaching retirement understand that life is about to change a whole lot: More freedom, more time, less day-to-day structure. But what many new retirees don’t grasp is that their financial mindset needs to undergo a major change as well. Simply put, without that consistent stream of work income, your financial margin of error […]
Financial Aid for College
Key to understanding financial aid eligibility is learning how financial aid formulas work. They’re rather complex and vary from school to school, but they basically use answers to questions about family income, assets, and size to help arrive at a special number known as the expected family contribution, or EFC. The EFC represents the amount […]
Charitable Giving, the Smart Way
I’ve always felt that donor-advised funds (DAFs) were a smart way for families to manage their charitable donations. After the recent death of my father, I’ve gained firsthand perspective on just how valuable they are. DAFs are charitable giving accounts offered by a sponsoring organization. Donors contribute cash, appreciated securities or even tangible assets such […]
Tune Out the Noise
There’s a reason that investors tend to only hear about “looming” market doom or “imminent” market growth. While many news outlets have incentive to draw viewer attention with wildly bullish or bearish predictions, these sensationalized views may be a distraction to a sound investment approach. When tempted to make a radical change to your investment […]
How Not to Screw Up Your RSU’s
You’re feeling pretty confident these days. First, you’re doing awesome work at a great company, and second, your restricted stock units (RSUs) have vested. Now for the big question: When do you cash your shares out? If you’re like most RSU recipients, you plan to hold on to your shares for a year before selling. […]
Your Money & the Markets in April
So far, it’s been a chilly spring for the economy. Growth in most U.S. metrics has been slow for three months or longer. Some of that stagnation is weather-related, but certainly not all. Factors such as the government shutdown and budget settlement, major inventory build-ups, and higher interest rates have all been negatives for recent […]
Find the Right IRA in Three Easy Steps
Even if you’re already convinced that saving in an IRA is a sensible thing to do, there’s still a little bit of research to conduct. There are two main types of IRA accounts, and selecting the one that’s best for you can be a daunting process. You can figure this out in relatively short order […]
Your Money & the Markets in March
Monthly Market Commentary The jobs report for February and initial unemployment claims were much better than expected, as weather effects began to diminish. That very same jobs report also dashed all hope that just maybe the U.S. Federal Reserve would temporarily halt its tapering program. The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield jumped to 2.79% on […]